


Avengewolf Part 2

by Freyagirl



Series: Avengewolf [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Teen Wolf (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 01:44:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5849125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freyagirl/pseuds/Freyagirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Everything I have today started with you.  A job that makes me feel good about myself, a family, a Pack, a Mate.  All of it Stiles, because I came looking for you and you let me in.  I won’t do this if I think it will put you in danger, I can’t lose you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Atonement

Ana met Stiles at a coffee shop near the Berkeley campus where Stiles and Lydia both went to school. Scott had gotten into UC Davis, while Kira and Isaac were attending Stanford. Derek had finally convinced Scott to accept money from the old Hale Pack fund to help with tuition and rent them all a house centrally located between the three schools. They were close enough to Beacon Hills that they all came to visit at least every other weekend, and Derek and Ana brought Liam and Mason down to visit often as well. This time though, it was just Ana and Stiles since she had asked to meet with him outside of the Pack.

After each getting their cups of coffee, they ambled over to a large grassy area dotted with students studying and socializing, enjoying the warm sunshine. Ana and Stiles settled down at the base of a large shady tree. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Stiles turned to Ana expectantly. “So, what’s up?” He asked.

“I need your help with something,” she hesitantly replied.

“Name it,” Stiles responded instantly. Ana rarely asked for anything from anyone, but she was always willing to help any member of the Pack without question. Whatever this was about, it was clearly important to her and Stiles felt a little swell of pride that his sister was coming to him for help.

“I’ve tried to put the past behind me and just move forward with the Pack,” Ana explained. “But I just can’t seem to do it. I spent my entire life fighting against the people who hurt our Mom, only to find out that I was working for those very same people the whole time. I dropped a lot of bodies in the name of SHIELD and I have no idea how many of them were innocents.” She briefly flashed bright blue eyes at him to underscore her point.

Stiles knew from experience that telling her it wasn’t her fault wasn’t going to do any good. It had still been her body, her hands that had killed, even if it wasn’t her decision. He had his own struggles with the aftermath of the nogitsune and understood what she was feeling probably better than anyone else. 

“I know you know what it’s like,” Ana said, and it made him startle for a moment at how close the words were to the thoughts in his head. “I know you understand in a way that no one else really can. That’s why I’m asking you to help me do something about it.”

Which was exactly why Stiles knew that he would do whatever she asked of him when he replied. “What do you need?”

Ana slipped a thumb drive into his hand. “I want you to go over my old mission files. Don’t go too far down the rabbit hole, just let me know if there is anyone that I can help, anything that I can do to mitigate the damage done.”

“I can definitely do that,” he agreed. “Not that it’ll stop me, but what does Derek think of this plan?” Stiles knew first hand how protective Derek was of his Pack and that went double for his Mate, the Alpha was seriously terrified of losing this family they had built like he had lost his birth family.

“He’s not thrilled,” Ana answered with a sigh. “But he gets that I need to do this and he’s not going to stop me. He did order me to always let him know where I was going and check in every day. He also made me promise that I would call him if I ever need help so he can bring some of the Pack for backup.”

“I agree with those terms, especially the part about calling the Pack for backup.” Stiles said with a cocky grin, “I mean you have been training us and it would be a shame to let all of this considerable bad-assness go to waste.”

Ana laughed and playfully shoved her not-so-little brother. “Thank you, Stiles. Just promise me that you will be careful and cover your tracks when you’re looking. HYDRA and SHIELD may be down, but they won’t stay that way for long. I have copies of everything on that drive and all the werewolf stuff has been scrubbed, so if anyone comes for it just hand it over, it’s not worth you getting hurt.”

“Of course,” Stiles shrugged.

“I mean it Stiles,” she admonished with a low growl. “Everything I have today started with you. A job that makes me feel good about myself, a family, a Pack, a Mate. All of it Stiles, because I came looking for you and you let me in. I won’t do this if I think it will put you in danger, I can’t lose you.”

Stiles swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat and lunged forward, wrapping his sister in a tight hug. “I love you too, Sis. And I promise I’ll be careful so long as you promise to do the same.”

“Deal.”


	2. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy used her tablet to bring up pieces of information on the large screen that covered one wall of the Director’s office as she briefed him on the results of her investigation. “As you know, I discovered that someone has been digging into some old SHIELD missions. I’ve been trying to figure out who is doing it and why, and I think I found some answers. It looks like all the cases this person is investigating are tied to one former Agent.”

While digging into the files of Ana’s past SHIELD missions, Stiles was saddened to realize that they had named her Otsana (which literally meant 'she-wolf') and they hadn't even given her their mother’s last name, calling her 'Smith' instead. He had already began to form an understanding of just how bereft of genuine love and care Ana’s childhood had been. It made him ever more thankful that his sister now had a Pack full of people who loved her. Stiles looked into the missions she had carried out and researched the results. He let Ana know if there were any wrongs he felt she could right and how he thought she could help someone who needed or deserved it, but she didn't want him involved in any way when she felt the situation required a more violent approach. Ana would periodically disappear for a few days. She was almost always in a bad place after one of these missions, falling apart, and Derek would take the time to put her back together. But with each mission, the weight she carried on her soul got just a little lighter.

 

Agent Daisy Johnson was sleeping in her quarters when she was awoken by an alert on her computer. A program she had written had finally finished running. The Agent dug into the results of her investigation before deciding that she was ready to brief Director Coulson.

“Hey A.C., got a minute?” Daisy asked as she poked her head into Coulson’s office.

“Sure,” he replied. “What have you got?”

Daisy used her tablet to bring up pieces of information on the large screen that covered one wall of the Director’s office as she briefed him on the results of her investigation. “As you know, I discovered that someone has been digging into some old SHIELD missions. I’ve been trying to figure out who is doing it and why, and I think I found some answers. It looks like all the cases this person is investigating are tied to one former Agent.”

“Which Agent?” Coulson asked.

“Otsana Smith, a level 7 Specialist and member of Strike Team 2.” Daisy answered as she brought up a picture of Ana on the screen. Coulson studied the picture for a moment, something about the Agent’s face tugging at his subconscious.

“Do you have any idea who is digging into her missions or why?”

“Not exactly,” replied the young Agent, “But I have a theory.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Coulson encouraged as he leaned back against his desk.

“I think it’s her, or someone working with her.” Daisy excitedly explained her theory as she brought up more information on the screen. “There’s no predictable time table, but definitely a pattern. Someone starts digging into one of Agent Smith’s old missions, does the whole ‘Where Are They Now?’ thing, then someone else follows through. Usually helping people who were hurt or in some way wronged by the original mission, though in a few cases this person has killed people, so far only really bad people, who benefitted from the original mission.”

“You think there’s more than one person?” Coulson asked.

“Sometimes the research is taking place at the same time as the ‘mission’. I’ve managed to track whoever is doing the investigating to the California Bay Area, but the location and ISP address are always different, while the actual ‘missions’ seem to be taking place all over the world. I know there’s only one researcher because whoever they are, they have a distinct style and approach. I’m not sure how many are involved in the actual operations, I’d need you or Agent May to take a look at them to determine if she’s acting alone.”

“You really think it’s Agent Smith?” he asked.

“Her S.O. was Agent Garrett,” Daisy pointed out. “I think she figured out that she was used by HYDRA and is trying to make it right as best she can.”

“You think we should reach out to her.” Coulson deduced.

“You’re always looking for good Agents to help rebuild SHIELD,” Daisy replied. “I think we should at least find her and see if she’s interested.”

“Alright,” Coulson said as he straightened up and walked Daisy to the door. “Send me copy of everything you have, especially her personnel file, and I’ll take a look.”

The Director looked over Daisy’s investigation and Agent Smith’s SHIELD file. Something still nagged at the back of his mind about it so he cross referenced all the information with the files in Fury’s Toolbox. Eventually he found a few references to HYDRA experiments on lycanthropy. Coulson realized why the Agent’s face had seemed familiar. Many years ago he and Agent Garrett had led a SHIELD team to take down a HYDRA lab. He remembered rescuing two teenage girls, one of whom had been heavily pregnant and the other had undergone a cesarian section. Coulson’s team had been responsible for rescuing the girls, while Garrett’s team was supposed to gather information and destroy the facility. Garrett had reported that no other survivors had been found and no infants had survived the experiments. Based on the resemblance of Agent Smith to the victim Claudia Karela, it was clear that Garrett lied.

Agent Garrett, who later turned out to be HYDRA, had been highly involved in Ana's development until he became obsessed with alien tech and abandoned the werewolf research. A careful review of the original files led Coulson to discover that Claudia Karela had in fact traveled with Carson's circus at the time that Clint Barton was there using the circus as a cover for high end thefts. Because of this, Coulson had Agent Simmons compare the DNA on file for both Ana and Agent Barton, which produced a match. They now knew that the Avenger was the father of Agent Otsana Smith, a HYDRA engineered werewolf. Now he just had to have Daisy pinpoint her exact location.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otsana: Basque name meaning 'she-wolf'
> 
> Gwrgenau (Stiles' real name): Welsh name composed of the elements gar 'man, warrior' and cenau 'whelp, young dog.' In heroic poetry, Gwrgenau was used as a term for a 'ferocious warrior.'


	3. The Past Comes Knocking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not an Agent anymore. If you’re here to recruit me, you’re wasting your time. I won’t be your attack dog.”
> 
> “I’m not looking for an attack dog,” he replied.

Ana woke up slowly, the strong arms of her Mate around her and surrounded by Pack. The whole weekend had been devoted to Pack bonding. Yesterday they had spent the entire day training, testing their skills. Ana and Derek had decided to make it fun, providing each of the non-canine pack members with a paintball gun and plenty of ammo. They acted out various scenarios from rescuing a Pack member, to evading hunters, to fighting off a challenging Pack. By the end of the day they were all sweaty, dirty, covered in paint, and positively reeking of happiness and contentment as they stumbled into the loft.

That evening they built a giant nest of pillows, blankets, and cushions on the floor while taking turns in the shower. After they were all clean and dressed in their pajamas they settled down and ate record amounts of food, played board games and watched movies. Eventually they all drifted off to sleep cuddled around each other in a large Pack Pile. Ana was currently wedged between her Mate and her brother, Derek the big spoon behind her and her forehead resting against Stiles’ chest with Malia’s arms wrapped around him from behind, making Stiles the little spoon. Scott was cuddled up with Kira on one side and Isaac on the other. Lydia was curled up on the other side of Kira with Liam’s head resting against her hip and Mason sprawled next to them with Liam’s arm around him. Ana indulged herself in a few precious minutes just taking in the warm, contented smell and sounds of her Pack. Her wolf was utterly content and wished that she could stay like this forever.

Unfortunately, most of the Pack would be returning to school today and needed to get on the road soon if they were going to get back in time to study and finish their homework assignments. With that in mind, Ana decided to get up, careful not to wake anyone, and head into the kitchen to see what she could make for breakfast. She had just started the coffee brewing, the scent beginning to fill the space, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She instinctively tilted her head to the side, baring her neck, as her Alpha Mate pressed up against her back. Derek tenderly brushed her hair out of the way before nuzzling into her neck, covering the long column of her throat with soft kisses, biting with blunt human teeth. Before things could progress any further, not that they would go much further with the rest of the Pack just a few feet away, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Derek answered the door, Ana standing just behind him and to the side enough to both see who it was and block their view of the interior of the loft. Ana immediately recognized the man on the other side of the door from her time working at SHIELD, he was after all somewhat of a legend.

“Director Coulson,” she said, both by way of greeting and to inform her Mate and the wolves who were by now listening of their visitor’s identity. 

Derek tensed at the knowledge that the man in front of him was from SHIELD, anticipating a threat to his Mate and Pack. “I mean no harm to any of your Pack, I just want to talk.” Coulson shifted his body language as he spoke into the most nonthreatening posture possible without broadcasting prey signals. The statement rang true to the werewolves’ senses and contained both reassurance and a warning. Ana put her hand on her Mate’s back, tapping out an affirmative signal unseen by the man on their doorstep. Derek nodded his agreement but before he stepped back to let the other man enter, he allowed his eyes to flash red and his mouth to fill with fangs as he let a low warning growl. Coulson got the message loud and clear, one wrong move and he’d be ripped to shreds.

By the time they led Coulson over to the living area, the rest of the Pack were all up and ranged about the space. Lydia, Stiles, and Mason had positioned themselves within easy reach of weapons they knew to be hidden around the loft while Isaac, Malia, and Liam positioned themselves between their Pack mates and the potential threat. Kira stood with her belt held loosely in her hand, ready to turn it into her sword at the first sign of trouble. Scott stood closest, standing squarely between Coulson and the rest of the Pack. Ana indicated for Coulson to sit on the couch, while Derek sat in his chair with Ana perched on the armrest.

Coulson took in the room. It appeared as if he had interrupted some sort of slumber party judging by the bedding on the floor and the fact that everyone appeared to be in their pajamas. They were all young, barely out of high school if that. And yet, despite their casual postures, Coulson knew without a doubt that he was in a room full of very dangerous people. While he was taking this all in, two of the boys (Isaac Leahey and Liam Dunbar according to Agent Johnson in his ear) went into the kitchen for a drink, stopping behind the couch on on their way back in. Coulson was well aware that meant he was entirely surrounded by the Pack. He was also fairly sure that at least some of them could hear Daisy through the com in his ear, judging by a snort of stifled laughter from behind him at one of her more colorful remarks.

Derek pinned Coulson with a hard gaze. “Talk,” he demanded.

“Agent Smith…” Coulson began, only to be interrupted by a tall, lanky yet broad shouldered young man.

“That’s not her name!” Stiles hissed, venom dripping from his words. “SHIELD stole her name. Calling her Smith is no different than calling her a Jane Doe.” 

Daisy’s voice in his ear informed him that this young man was the little brother of the Agent in question, which explained the anger simmering in his gaze. “My apologies,” Coulson responded, “Agent Karela…”

Coulson was once again interrupted, this time by Ana. “I’m not an Agent anymore. If you’re here to recruit me, you’re wasting your time. I won’t be your attack dog.”

“I’m not looking for an attack dog,” he replied. “I’m not going to insult your intelligence by telling you that I wouldn’t love to have you on my Team, but that’s not my primary purpose in coming here.”

“Then why are you here, exactly?” Scott asked. Coulson was struck by the air of quiet authority with which he asked the question.

“During the course of our investigation into your recent…extracurricular activities, I came across information that led me to your father’s identity.” He answered.

“You know who my father is?” Ana questioned.

“DNA tests confirmed that your father is a former SHIELD Agent,” Coulson replied. “Clint Barton.”

“Wait,” Stiles broke in, his voice thick with disbelief. “You mean Hawkeye? You’re saying that her father is a freakin’ Avenger!?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”


	4. Leaving Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though she tried to sound cold and logical, her three Packmates could tell that this was very important to her. Derek and Stiles both knew how badly Ana had wanted to find her father and Scott had an intimate understanding of what it felt like to be without a father.
> 
> “You shouldn’t go alone,” said Scott. “You should have Pack with you.”
> 
> “I’ll go with you,” Derek offered.
> 
> “Derek you can’t,” said Stiles.

“Does he know?” Ana asked.

“Not yet,” Coulson answered. “I thought it would be best to come tell you first and offer you a chance to be there when I do. I’m fairly certain that Stark and Romanov will know the moment that I tell Clint about you. Once that happens you’ll probably have at least half of the Avengers in Beacon Hills and I figured you wouldn’t want the sort of attention that would attract. I plan on heading to New York as soon as I leave here and there’s a seat for you on the Bus if you want it.”

“That’s not entirely my decision to make,” Ana said. With a nod to both Derek and Scott, Ana headed up the spiral staircase and out onto the roof of the loft. Derek, Scott, and Stiles followed her up.

“I think I should go,” she began. “Coulson’s right when he says that Stark will probably intercept any communication from SHIELD to Barton, he’s notorious for it. We definitely don’t need that kind of attention drawn to the Pack, especially if anyone in HYDRA is still interested in werewolves.” Though she tried to sound cold and logical, her three Packmates could tell that this was very important to her. Derek and Stiles both knew how badly Ana had wanted to find her father and Scott had an intimate understanding of what it felt like to be without a father.

“You shouldn’t go alone,” said Scott. “You should have Pack with you.”

“I’ll go with you,” Derek offered.

“Derek you can’t,” said Stiles. “Scott can’t miss any of his classes right now and Liam needs an Alpha around. We can’t leave Liam and Mason to hold the territory by themselves. They need you here. I can afford to miss classes for a week or so. Lydia can get notes for me and I can email my assignments to my professors. Besides, this guy was an important part of my Mom’s life, I want to meet him too.” None of them could argue with Stiles at that, they all knew how much he missed his mother. While Derek really wanted to be there for his Mate, he understood that Stiles needed to be there more. 

Stiles wasn’t wrong in his assessment of Liam, either. Without Derek or Scott around to ground and guide him, the young wolf had a tendency to let anger get the best of him and make rash decisions. The added pressure of being responsible for holding the Pack territory without an Alpha would probably lead to some monumentally poor decision making.

“Okay,” Derek agreed, “but you both need to check in every day and if something doesn’t feel right you either come home or call for the Pack.” Stiles and Ana both agreed.

When they returned downstairs, Ana informed Coulson that she and Stiles would be going with him to New York. They took turns quickly getting dressed and brushing their teeth. Since the sleepover had been planned, Stiles had a change of clothes there already. Every member of the Pack kept a go-bag at the loft in case of emergencies so they just grabbed those instead of taking the time to pack a bag. Ana and Stiles hugged each member of the Pack before following Coulson out of the loft.

Derek insisted on driving them, the camaro following Coulson’s beautiful red convertible to the small private air field a few miles outside of town. On the way, Stiles called the Sheriff to fill him in and request a leave of absence for Ana which he happily granted. Once again they promised Derek that they would call as often as possible. After Derek hauled her in for a decidedly steamy kiss, which caused a lot of raised eyebrows from the assembled agents, Ana and Stiles boarded the jet.


	5. The Bus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She didn’t tell them that Stiles was so much more than that. That he really was the heart of the Pack, the bridge between Scott and Derek, that held everyone together.

Stiles was suitably impressed by the Bus, practically drooling over all of the hi-tech spy gear. Coulson introduced them to the members of his team that had accompanied him to Beacon Hills: Agents Johnson, May, Fitz, and Simmons. Coulson had brought the younger agents to assist him in briefing Barton and the other Avengers, to help explain the HYDRA lycanthropy experiments, while Agent May was there to drive the Bus and provide backup in case he got himself in werewolf trouble.

Having been informed of the upcoming briefing, Ana asked if she and Stiles could look at the information that Coulson and his team had managed to dig up on the HYDRA lycanthropy project. This was partly because they wanted to see if perhaps SHIELD had managed to find anything they hadn’t and partly to test the new Director’s willingness to share information with them. Coulson recognized the request for the test it was. He led them over to the plane’s small briefing room. He brought up all of the information that he and Agent Johnson had managed to compile and gave them a demonstration of how to operate the table which served as an interface and how to manipulate the holographic files.

Stiles was in heaven with this 3D search engine, his google-fu was amped up like a thousand degrees. He dove into research mode and and before long he was lost to the world, surrounded by holographic files. Daisy watched in fascination as Stiles moved back and forth between multiple displays, curious when he pulled things up that didn’t appear to have anything to do with the HYDRA experiments. His mind seeming to make connections that no one else could see.

Coulson spent the duration of the flight chatting with Ana, describing the new version of SHIELD that he was building and the threats they faced. Ana was impressed with his sincere desire to rebuild SHIELD based on it’s founding principles, trying to live up to those ideals. She also liked the fact that they were trying to help or recruit as many inhumans as possible, rather than treat them all with fear and suspicion. But, as much as she admired this new SHIELD, Ana wasn’t interested in becoming an Agent. She did reluctantly agree to help if SHIELD ran into any cases of a more supernatural nature, but Ana made it clear that she had dedicated herself to her Pack, her family, and her Mate. She would always put them first.

About halfway through the flight, Ana and Coulson visited the galley for lunch. After eating, she grabbed a protein bar and a bottle of juice to bring to Stiles. When Ana arrived at the briefing room, she was amused to see that Fitz and Simmons had joined Daisy in her observation of Stiles. She and Coulson paused a moment to take in the how utterly absorbed Stiles was, clearly oblivious to anything but the information at his fingertips. 

“What exactly is he doing?” Coulson asked.

“Every member of a wolf Pack has a role to play, a place in the Pack. This is Stiles doing what Stiles does.” Ana replied with a fond smile at her brother. 

“So, he does the Pack’s research?” Fitz remarked.

Ana laughed before answering. “Yes, he does the research, but that isn’t his function within the Pack. Among other things, no matter what problem the Pack faces, Stiles is always the one to figure it out, to see the whole picture.” She didn’t tell them that Stiles was so much more than that. That he really was the heart of the Pack, the bridge between Scott and Derek, that held everyone together.

She forced her brother to eat the bar and drink the juice (Stiles bitching the entire time) before allowing him to resume his work.

“Do you have to do that often?” Coulson asked, referring to the forced lunch break.

“He has a tendency to get hyper-focused when trying to solve a problem. We make sure that someone from the Pack is always there to keep him from losing himself.”

“I can sympathize,” Coulson remarked with a pointed glance at the three young agents.

“That actually does sound a lot like our team,” said Daisy.

“Well, considering that my last team turned out to be HYDRA,” Ana replied. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“The whole team?!” Daisy asked.

“Wow, and we felt betrayed by just one person,” mused Simmons. “Imagine the damage Ward could have done if he hadn’t been working alone.”

“I killed them all before they got the chance to do much damage. Grant Ward was HYDRA?” Ana asked, “Why does that not surprise me?”

“You worked with Ward?” asked Fitz, glossing over the comment about killing her team.

“Not exactly,” Ana replied enigmatically.

“One of your murdering psycho exes?” Came from Stiles. “Seriously, you and Derek should have a support group.” As he said all this, Stiles was closing down all the images and packing up his notes.

“We do,” Ana teased with a smirk. “That’s what all the sex is, therapy.”

Dude, gross!” Exclaimed Stiles. “I do not want to hear about you and Derek and your freaky werewolf sex life!”

“Did you get what you needed?” Coulson asked, interrupting the sibling banter.

“Yep,” replied Stiles brightly, making an obnoxious popping sound at the end.

“Care to share with the class?” Asked Daisy, curious.

Just then Agent May’s voice came through the intercom announcing their arrival at the Avengers Initiative.

“Not yet,” Stiles responded with a wink as they all took their seats for the landing.


	6. Briefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A little over 25 years ago myself and then-Agent Garrett led two teams on a raid of a HYDRA lab which was experimenting with lycanthropy.”
> 
> “Hold up,” interrupted Stark, “lycanthropy? Werewolves are a thing now?!”
> 
> “Yes, Mr. Stark,” Coulson answered in an incredibly bland manner that Stiles suspected was carefully calculated to drive the billionaire insane. “Werewolves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the universe of this story, Scott confided in Derek when Gerard threatened his mother. Together with Stiles they hatched the plan to swap his meds with mountain ash then give him the Bite which killed him. Also, Gerard hurt Stiles more extensively when he was held in the basement, resulting in a few days in the hospital. This whole situation is what ultimately brought Scott and Derek together.

The Bus set down in a large field outside of the Avengers Initiative. Ana and Stiles disembarked with the SHIELD personnel, following the agents inside. Once there, Agent Romanov greeted them with a warm smile for Director Coulson and a respectful nod for Agent May. They followed her through the building to a mid-sized conference room. Ana’s amusement at Stiles practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of meeting the Avengers helping to distract her from her nervousness at the imminent meeting with her father.

Several of the Avengers were assembled around the table in the center of the room. Stiles and Ana easily recognized Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, and Clint Barton as they took their own seats around the table. They were all familiar with the members of Coulson’s team, having worked with them before. They were curious about the two new faces but didn’t comment, trusting Coulson.

The Director began the meeting. “A little over 25 years ago myself and then-Agent Garrett led two teams on a raid of a HYDRA lab which was experimenting with lycanthropy.”

“Hold up,” interrupted Stark, “lycanthropy? Werewolves are a thing now?!”

“Yes, Mr. Stark,” Coulson answered in an incredibly bland manner that Stiles suspected was carefully calculated to drive the billionaire insane. “Werewolves. In fact Stiles and Ana here are representatives of a Pack in California that was deeply affected by those experiments.”

“What kind of experiments?” Asked Dr. Banner.

“It appears that HYDRA was kidnapping teenage girls of supernatural lineage who were not werewolves themselves. The girls were impregnated and the babies were infected with lycanthropy in utero.” Answered Simmons.

“Maybe don’t use the term ‘infected’,” Stiles broke in. “Werewolves are a _species_ , not a _disease_.”

Noting the hard glint in the young man’s eyes, Simmons apologized with a nervous smile. “I’m sorry, I meant no offense.”

Stiles accepted with a nod, “I know you didn’t mean anything by it but a lot of harm has been done to my friends and family by people who felt that way.”

“Do we know how many girls and babies they did this to?” Steve asked with a concerned face.

“According to the records we’ve been able to find, it seems as though they experimented on at least twenty mothers and their babies,” Simmons answered. “Sadly only two of each survived.”

“Do you know what they were trying to achieve?” Bruce asked.

“I honestly have no idea,” answered Simmons.

“I do,” interrupted Stiles. “We’ve suspected for a while that they were trying to create the perfect Beta.”

“Beta?” Asked Simmons, curious.

“Yeah, so there are three basic types of werewolves,” Stiles explained. “Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Alphas are the Pack leaders and only an Alpha’s bite can turn a human into a werewolf.”

“The HYDRA files suggested that there is an enzyme in their saliva,” Simmons interjected.

“It’s not entirely that simple, but yes.” Stiles confirmed before continuing. “Omegas are usually lone wolves, they typically don’t survive long. All the other wolves are Betas. Alphas are connected to their Betas. They can control them and draw power from them. An Alpha needs at least three Betas to form a Pack. The stronger the Beta, the more power their Alpha can draw from them, but a strong Beta can be a threat to their Alpha as well. If a Beta kills an Alpha they then gain that Alpha’s power, becoming an Alpha themselves. We think that the experiments were designed to create the strongest Betas possible, with no personal ambition, completely loyal to their Alpha.”

“What made you think that’s what they were trying to do?” Asked Natasha, speculatively.

“Because Ana here is the strongest Beta I’ve ever seen,” Stiles explained with more than a hint of pride in his voice. “I’d bet even money on her up against any Alpha, including our own. She could become Alpha of any Pack she wanted, and she’s never shown the slightest inclination to do so. It’s extremely rare for a Beta not to be tempted by that kind of power.”

“I don’t want to be an Alpha,” Ana commented with a shrug.

“Wait,” Tony broke in pointing a finger at Ana. “ _She’s_ a HYDRA engineered werewolf?”

“I am,” Ana answered succinctly.

“But why go through all that trouble?” Steve asked, “It doesn’t seem very practical for HYDRA on a large scale.”

“That question had us stymied as well, though I suspect that Mr. Stilinski here has figured it out,” responded Coulson with a nod towards Stiles.

Stiles grimaced as he answered. “Yeah, it turns out your Agent Garrett was working with another member of HYDRA, the head of a prominent Hunter family, Gerard Argent.”

“Wait, Hunters?” Clint asked.

“There are families that have hunted supernatural creatures for generations. The Argents were a family of werewolf hunters,” Stiles answered. “Anyway, it looks like Garrett and Gerard both had the same degenerative disease and were looking at becoming a werewolf as a cure.”

“They wouldn’t want to be controlled by an Alpha, they’d want to be Alphas themselves with strong Betas they could control that would never be a threat to them.” Natasha observed, understanding the implications.

“Right,” Stiles nodded enthusiastically. “They probably intended to capture and kill a couple of Alphas as soon as they turned. The SHIELD ‘rescue operation’ was actually the last stage of the experiment. Separate the two surviving babies, train one in a controlled environment and leave the other to be raised in a traditional Pack, then test them and compare. How old were you when your eyes turned blue?”

Stiles asked Ana. Ana knew that Stiles was really asking when was the first time she killed an innocent for HYDRA. She also trusted that he wouldn’t be asking if he didn’t need to know, if it wasn’t somehow a piece of the puzzle he was trying to put together. “Fourteen,” she answered.

Stiles nodded as if that was the final piece of information he needed. “That fits the timeline,” he muttered almost to himself before continuing, directing his remarks mostly towards Ana but loud enough for the others to hear. “About that same time is when Kate Argent, Gerard’s daughter, tried to seduce David Hale, the other baby from the experiment, away from his Pack. It didn’t work. You both passed your respective tests so they knew they had succeeded. You were already under HYDRA control and not a threat, but Gerard and Kate couldn’t take the chance that any other Hunters or SHIELD would find out what they were planning. I found out that Gerard was also responsible for Mom’s ‘illness’, she died about the same time that Kate burned down the Hale House with the entire Pack inside. They didn’t know what anyone in the Hale Pack knew about their plans, so she targeted the whole Pack. This also explains why I was singled out for some ‘Quality Time’ in the Argent’s basement with Grandpa Crazy-Pants sophomore year. He wanted to find out if I knew anything about what happened to Mom before he got the Bite from Derek.”

A low growl filled the room as Ana wolfed out, drawing startled gasps from around the table as they took in her claws, fangs, and glowing eyes. The thought of Gerard Argent being behind the murders of her Mate’s family, her own Mother, and hurting Stiles making her wolf crave an enemy to destroy. “You’re sure that he’s dead?” Ana asked, fully prepared to hunt the bastard down if he wasn’t.

“Calm down Cujo,” Stiles soothed in a calm voice that took all the venom out of his words. “He’s dead, Scott and Derek totally bonded over it. Sharing that kill made them Pack. I know you want a piece of him so I promise that next time I get kidnapped and tortured you can have dibs on tearing the bad guy apart.”

The thought of anyone once again harming her little brother did nothing to calm her wolf. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as Ana curled a clawed hand gently around the nape of his neck, scruffing him like a pup. “ _If_ there is a next time,” she spoke carefully around a mouthful of sharp teeth. “I will make sure that you get the chance to tear them apart yourself.”

“It’s a deal,” Stiles said with a smirk, “and I’m totally getting the warm-fuzzies right now, but I really need you to dial it back a little. You’re kinda freaking out the Avengers.”

The room was quiet for a moment as Ana closed her eyes, taking a deep lungful of her brother’s scent to calm her wolf. They watched avidly as her claws and fangs retreated and the glow faded from her eyes.

“Forgive me Son-Of-Coul,” Thor broke into the silence. “What does all of this have to do with the Avengers?”

Coulson took a fortifying breath before he answered. “In all honesty this really only concerns one of you, but I figured it was best to tell you all at once and save everyone the aggravation of certain people not respecting their teammates’ privacy.” This last was said with pointed looks at both Tony and Natasha.

Ever since laying eyes on the two siblings that Coulson had brought with him, Clint had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was missing something. He blamed the close proximity for taking him so long to figure it out. Had he been observing them from a distance he would have seen it sooner. “Claudia. Your mother was Claudia Karela.” It was a statement rather than a question.

Clint turned to Coulson, “Is she…?”

“Yes Clint,” the Director answered. “DNA analysis confirms that Ana is your daughter.”


	7. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh my God!” Stiles exclaimed, “You and Derek are going to have puppies! Scott and I are going to be the best uncles ever!”
> 
> Ana interrupted the teenager’s excited rambling with a smack to the back of the head. “Babies, Stiles not puppies, and we’re just talking about it. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

Stiles and Ana agreed to join the Avengers at the Tower after checking in with Derek, Scott, and the Sheriff. Coulson and his team were leaving to follow a lead on a new inhuman. Before they left Coulson pulled Stiles aside, handing him a business card, “Mr. Stilinski, if you are ever interested in a job, give me a call.”

 

Once at the Tower, Tony had JARVIS order a truly obscene amount of food. They all spread out in the common area, eager to get to know each other better. The Avengers were a little wary of the werewolf in their midst, the fangs and claws still fresh in their minds, but they were also eager to learn more about Clint’s long lost kid. They were also intrigued by the teenaged boy who faced those claws and fangs without flinching and who spoke of death and torture with a nonchalance that was rare in even the most experienced Agents.

“So Hawk-spawn,” began Tony. “Tell us a little about yourself.”

Ana rolled her eyes at his tone as she answered, “HYDRA engineered werewolf, SHIELD boarding school, SHIELD Academy of Operations, SHIELD Specialist, Strike Team Two, Beacon County Sheriff’s Department.”

“Ignore him,” said Pepper as she smacked Tony’s arm. Pepper gave Ana an encouraging smile, “What about your personal life? Are you seeing anyone, married, kids?”

“Oh _please_ tell me Katnis here is a grandpa!” Tony exclaimed, earning him another smack from Pepper.

Ana gave the woman a commiserating smile before she answered. “Mated, not married, and no kids yet, but we’ve been talking about it.”

“Oh my God!” Stiles exclaimed, “You and Derek are going to have puppies! Scott and I are going to be the _best uncles ever_!”

Ana interrupted the teenager’s excited rambling with a smack to the back of the head. “Babies, Stiles _not_ puppies, and we’re just talking about it. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

“So what’s the difference between married and mated?” Asked Steve, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Well for one,” Ana answered, “human marriages can end while wolves Mate for life. The rest is hard to explain, it’s like a more intense version of a Pack bond. Everyone in a Pack has a general sense of everyone else’s well-being. The Pack as a whole can sense if any one of us is hurt, or in danger, or is feeling any strong emotions. It’s stronger for the wolves than the non-wolves, the Alphas of course have the strongest sense of the Pack. My Mate bond with Derek is stronger still, especially because he’s also my Alpha.”

“Wait a minute,” Clint broke in, pinning Stiles with a clearly disapproving expression. “Didn’t you say that Ana is a ‘perfect beta’ and that she is basically incapable of disobeying her Alpha?”

“Hey Dude, no,” Stiles protested. “I know where you’re going with this and I _promise_ you that Derek is the absolute _last_ person that would ever take advantage of someone like that! The dude is _all about_ consent.”

“It’s not like mind-control,” Ana added. “I’m with Derek because I choose to be, because I love him. Derek would never force me to be with him.”

Clint nodded his acceptance but he didn’t miss the fact that neither of them said that this ‘Derek’ _couldn’t_ force her, only that he _wouldn’t_. He resolved to look into the Alpha, to learn everything there was to know about the guy his daughter was apparently werewolf-married to. Coulson dropping the bomb of Ana’s paternity had shocked Clint. Also, werewolves. He had been told by the authorities that Claudia had died during her abduction and he had honestly grieved for her. He was determined to do right by this child that Claudia had never gotten the chance to meet.

The rest of the evening was mostly spent with Stiles fan-boying over the Avengers, who in turn picked the boy’s brain about werewolves. They all traded war stories and anecdotes, Stiles easily keeping up with the assorted heroes. When asked how long he had been involved with werewolves and everything else that goes bump in the night, Stiles answered. “My best friend Scott, whose really more like my brother, got bitten by an Alpha when we were 16. Since then our lives have pretty much been one supernatural shit-show after another. Of course, now that I know what HYDRA did to my mom and Ana, I guess it’s been that way since before I was born.”

After that things began to wind down, the Avengers wandering off to bed one by one until only Clint, Ana, and Stiles were left. Clint and Stiles sharing memories of Claudia with Ana and each other. Eventually Stiles crashed, exhausted mentally and emotionally, with his head in Ana’s lap, her fingers carding gently through his hair. She and Clint wrapped up their conversation, then he led Ana and Stiles to the apartment that JARVIS had reserved for them.


	8. Pack Dynamics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ana paused, set down her fork, and looked Stiles directly in the eye. “Stiles,” she said, “of course I do. My place in the Pack is to obey, just as yours is to question. Both are necessary for the Pack, that’s why we are Seconds.”

The next morning Ana woke early as usual, while Stiles was still asleep. She quickly dressed in BDU pants and a tee shirt, looking up at the ceiling as she tied her shoes. “JARVIS, if Stiles wakes up before I get back, please tell him that I went for a run.”

“Of course, Deputy,” the AI replied. “If I may make a suggestion? Captain Rogers is about to leave for his own morning run. Since the Captain so rarely has anyone that can keep pace with him, I’m certain that he would welcome the company.”

“That sounds great,” she replied. “And JARVIS, please call me Ana.”

It turned out that JARVIS was correct, Steve did welcome the company. As they ran around Central Park, Ana had no problem keeping up with the Super Soldier and they returned to the Tower in good spirits.

After a quick shower, Ana found Stiles drinking coffee and helping Bruce make breakfast in the kitchen of the common floor. The other Avengers were all gathered around the rather large dining table next to the kitchen. Steve and Ana each grabbed a cup of coffee and joined them. Once breakfast was ready, they all filled their plates and gathered around the table. Before he could even take a bite, Steve’s phone rang and he got up to take the call.

Stiles was halfway through his plate of food before he noticed that Ana hadn’t even taken one bite. She had to be starving, her werewolf metabolism operating at a calorie defect after her run. He nudged her in the ribs with his elbow, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she hissed back at him, hunger making her a little testier than normal.

Steve rejoined them all at the table, passing along Sam Wilson’s greetings to the other Avengers. As soon as he took a bite of his food, Ana dug into her own with gusto.

“Really?” Stiles laughed, loudly, drawing the attention of the others.

“Shut up, Stiles!” Ana growled, flashing her eyes at him. Stiles just rolled his own eyes at her and kept laughing.

“What am I missing?” Steve asked, confused.

“Ask the Perfect Beta over here,” Stiles snarked. Still laughing as Ana growled and flashed her eyes at him again.

“I’m confused, and I do _not_ like being confused,” Tony interrupted, pointing his fork at Stiles, “Explain!”

Stiles got himself under control, taking a deep breath before he answered. “Ana’s inner wolf has apparently decided that Steve here is an Alpha and you are all his Pack. She couldn’t start eating before Steve took a bite. I never really noticed, but you do the same thing at home with Scott and Derek.”

Ana decided that since Stiles had poked fun at her expense, this was the perfect opportunity to subject him to a lesson in Pack dynamics. And if the Avengers gained a bit more of an understanding as well, she figured it was all for the good. Her instincts told her this was her father’s Pack and they could potentially become powerful allies.

Ana paused, set down her fork, and looked Stiles directly in the eye. “ _Stiles_ ,” she said, “of course I do. My place in the Pack is to _obey_ , just as yours is to _question_. Both are necessary for the Pack, that’s why we are Seconds.”

“Wait, I’m a Second?” Stiles questioned, startled. “I thought you were the Second.”

“We both are Stiles,” Ana answered.

“I guess I just never thought of myself that way. I mean, I know the wolves all have a pecking order, but I didn’t think that included me since I’m only human,” Stiles replied with a shrug.

“Human with a Spark,” Ana corrected. “Someday you will be the Pack’s Emissary, if you want it. But you have always been a Second. You help your Alphas guide the Pack, you pay attention to things that they may not see. Tell me Stiles, who is Third?”

“Lydia,” Stiles said without hesitation. Then a thoughtful look crossed his face, “But Lydia is always in charge, she never lets anyone boss her around, not even Derek or Scott.”

Ana chuckled, “That’s certainly true, but have you noticed that you are the only one who’s allowed to call her out when she needs it? Anyone else would get their ass handed to them. She trusts and respects you, considers you worth her time when so very few people are. She needs you because of everyone in her orbit, you are the only one who saw her for who she truly was and loved her because of that, not in spite of it.”

“How do you even know all that? You didn’t even meet any of us until a year ago!” Stiles exclaimed.

“I pay attention,” Ana replied enigmatically. “And so do you,. Come on Stiles, who’s next?”

“Kira and Malia, I think. I mean, they definitely follow Lydia,” Stiles answered. “But, Kira is Scott’s girlfriend. Wouldn’t that make her Second like you?”

Ana smiled approvingly. “Kira is not Scott’s Mate. If that ever changes, her place in the Pack would be equal to ours. Very good, who’s next.”

“Isaac…” Stiles said slowly.

Ana nodded, “And next?” She urged.

“Liam and then Mason,” Stiles answered hesitantly. “That doesn’t feel exactly right though.”

“That’s because, while the top of the Pack is stable, the bottom of the Pack is unsettled,” Ana explained. “Isaac is a submissive wolf by nature, most comfortable at the bottom of the Pack. He doesn’t really like to be aggressive and his wolf craves care and comfort, like the baby of the family.”

“Exactly, he’s like a giant puppy!” Stiles exclaimed, eliciting a snort of laughter from Tony.

Ignoring yet another dog joke from Stiles, Ana continued. “And Liam is dominant and aggressive by nature, but he is too young an inexperienced to harness those drives constructively. He is not ready yet to earn a place above Isaac, at least for now. Eventually he will probably settle with Lydia at Third.”

“You don’t think he’ll challenge me for Second? I know he won’t challenge you, you scare the crap out of him.” Stiles gave an evil grin at how much the cocky young Beta was afraid of his big sister.

“I absolutely think he will,” Ana answered as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Then won’t he be Second?” Stiles asked.

“How many times have you been attacked by werewolves or other creatures, all bigger and stronger than you?” Ana asked pointedly.

“I can’t actually remember,” Stiles answered.

”And yet you are still here because you are smarter and stronger than you give yourself credit for. You are also far more ruthless, even if you hide it well.” Ana said proudly. “Liam _will_ challenge you eventually, but _you_ will win.”

Stiles felt a rush of warmth at Ana’s faith in him. “Okay, but what about Mason? He’s at the bottom but it doesn’t really feel like he belongs there.”

“You’re right, he doesn’t belong there.” Ana agreed, voice warm with approval. “He chooses to stand behind Liam because they are best friends and he knows that Liam’s wolf wouldn’t be able to handle being at the bottom of the Pack. Without Mason, Scott and Derek would have had to force Liam to submit. Mason gives Liam’s wolf someone to watch over and protect, keeps his wolf content.”

“So Mason will move up in the Pack when Liam does?” Stiles asked.

“Mason is a bit of a wild card,” Ana speculated. “He is a human in a wolf Pack. He will learn and grow, make choices. Who knows what he will become.”

“Like I was,” Stiles nodded in agreement only to have Ana laugh out loud.

“No Stiles,” Ana responded, still chuckling. “I wasn’t there but Derek shared with me a lot about when you and he first became Pack. He was a brand new Alpha and you were barely sixteen, but you were already his Second.”

“No, that’s not right.” Stiles said with a confused frown and a shake of his head. “Scott and I didn’t join Derek’s Pack until we all had to work together to stop Gerard.”

“ _Scott_ and Derek didn’t become Pack until then, but _you_ were always part of Derek’s Pack.” Ana sighed as Stiles continued to look perplexed. “Stiles, how do wolves, who are not related, form a Pack bond?”

“They share a kill,” Stiles answered.

“Correct, usually that kill is a deer or other game….” She trailed off as realization began to dawn on Stiles’ face.

“…But sometimes it’s a psychotic Alpha werewolf bent on world domination. Derek ripped Peter’s throat out, but not before I set him on fire.” Stiles spoke the last barely above a whisper.

“Wait,” Tony interrupted. “You set a guy _on fire_ when you were sixteen?!”

“To be fair, it was Lydia’s idea to make the self-igniting molotovs in the school chem lab, I just threw them at Derek’s creepy Bad-Touch Uncle,” Stiles replied defensively. “Wait, this totally explains why Derek was so desperate to get Scott to join his Pack! We’ve always been a package deal.”

“That’s right,” Ana agreed. “If you had been a wolf you would have felt the connection as strongly as Derek. Instead, you only felt it on a subconscious level. Even so, the bond was still enough to make you risk yourself multiple times for him.”

“Maybe I helped him because I’m a good person?” Stiles quipped cheekily.

“You risked drowning to hold your paralyzed Alpha above water for two hours. Stiles, I love you, but you are not that good a person,” Ana answered with a shrug. “Of course, neither am I.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing our Alphas are good guys isn’t it?” Stiles commented with a smirk.

“Yeah they are; and yes, it is.” Ana answered with a smile.


	9. Pack Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles had a tendency to flail not only with his limbs, but with his Spark as well. With that in mind, Ana quietly made sure that JARVIS was ready with fire suppression just in case.

The following week was spent with Ana and Stiles spending time and bonding with the various Avengers. The first day they joined Clint and Natasha in the gym. Ana sparred with each of them individually, then they teamed up against her. Her fighting skills were on par with theirs, but the added strength and speed of being a werewolf gave her an edge over them that it took both of them working together to negate. The two Avengers worked with Stiles on his hand to hand skills, which had been steadily improving since Ana had taken over training the Pack. Ana was introduced to the gym equipment that Tony had designed especially to for Steve. She took full advantage of having equipment that could withstand even werewolf strength.

After lunch and a bit of a rest, the four of them went to the Tower’s indoor range. They took turns firing a variety of handguns and rifles. The two Avengers found that Stiles was surprisingly proficient. Not only had Ana been training the non-wolves with firearms, but Stiles had spent many an afternoon with his dad at the range in Beacon Hills. It had reassured the boy to see how well his dad could shoot and the Sheriff had been determined that, since firearms would be a part of his life because of his job, Stiles should know how to operate and handle them safely and effectively.

After that, Clint brought out his bow and treated them to a truly awesome demonstration of his skills. After completing a particularly difficult shot, Stiles turned towards Clint and Natasha. “My friend Allison would have loved meeting you both. She was a badass with every kind of weapon, especially knives and guns, but she was truly spectacular with a bow.”

Clint took in the boy’s sad face, so much like the face of the girl he had loved, full of grief and regret. “I’m sorry your friends not here anymore, I think I would have liked meeting her.”

Stiles nodded. “She died bloody and before her time.”

“Not your fault little brother,” Ana said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You weren’t in the driver’s seat.”

“Maybe not, but the thing that killed her still used my hands to do it,” Stiles responded, voice tinged with anger.

“Mind control?” Clint asked.

“Possession actually,” Stiles answered. “A nogitsune, an evil Japanese fox demon, used me to kill a lot of good people and torment my friends.”

Clint looked over at Stiles, seeing something in the boy’s face that looked a lot like what he himself saw in the mirror. “A few years ago I was mind controlled by an alien/Norse God. He used me to kill a lot of good people, some of whom were my friends.”

“So how do _you_ deal with it?” Stiles asked. “You make it count. They’re gone, but you’re still here, so you owe it to them and yourself to make it count.”

********************************************************************************************************************************

Later on Ana and Stiles showered and changed before meeting the Avengers for dinner on the Common Floor. ”So what’s Coulson really like?” Stiles asked the group at large. “The guy offered me a job, though I’m pretty sure he did it just to get Ana too.”

“No Stiles,” Ana corrected. “I’m a damn good Agent and an even better Specialist but, even with the werewolf factored in, he has plenty of inhuman Agents that fit the bill not to mention the Avengers he can call on. He’s also smart enough to have figured out that using you to get to me is about the quickest way there is to make me his enemy. He wants you for your own merits. For the past year you have been essentially acting as my handler, gathering intel and helping me plan and prep for missions. You are as good as any trained handler I’ve ever worked with. I saw Coulson watching as you pulled all the threads together on the plane ride and made the connections between the Argents, Hydra, and what happened to our mom. I’ve never known anyone who could have done that on the spot like that.”

“On the spot?” asked Steve.

“Wait a minute,” Tony interjected, connecting the dots. “All that stuff you told us at the briefing, you figured out _on the plane ride over_.”

“Just all the HYDRA and SHIELD stuff,” Stiles answered with a shrug. “We already knew Kate and Gerard were psychopaths but I didn’t know about their connection to HYDRA until Coulson let me look at his files.”

“There are only a handful of people in the world that could have put that together at all, let alone in that amount of time,” Tony remarked. “I mean, _I_ could have done it of course.”

“He’s right,” Ana agreed. “ _That’s_ why Coulson wants you.”

“I've decided that you’re going to work for me instead. Besides, Stark Industries pays better and we have way cooler toys.” Tony said with a smirk.

“ _What?_ ” exclaimed a stunned Stiles.

“He’s going to finish college first,” Ana pronounced, narrowing her eyes at Stark.

“Hey guys, _I’m right here_ ,” Stiles hissed, flailing his arm and hitting Thor’s shoulder, causing the human to wince. “And as cool as both job offers are, I’m not leaving my Pack for anything.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to settle for having you as my intern whenever your sister comes to visit,” Tony said with a shrug.

“ _That_ I can do,” Stiles agreed enthusiastically.

After that the evening devolved into a gaming tournament between Stiles, Tony, Clint, and Thor. Stiles was in heaven playing Tony’s next generation SI gaming platform, not even on the market yet, on a screen that covered the entire wall.

********************************************************************************************************************************

Stiles was thoroughly enjoying his stay at Avenger’s Tower and by the morning of their last day he was wishing they could stay longer. Ana had gone for another early morning run with Cap and Stiles was still keyed up pulling an Adderal-fueled all nighter with Tony in his workshop. Stiles went up to get a drink from the kitchen on the Common Floor. As he passed through he noticed Bruce doing yoga in front of the huge bank of windows looking out over the city.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Stiles apologized when Bruce stopped.

“You didn’t,” assured Bruce with a smile. “I was just finishing my forms and was about to meditate for a while, you’re welcome to join me.”

“I’m not really good at meditating and stuff, but I’ll give it a shot.” Stiles said as he sat down next to Bruce.

They sat facing towards the windows watching as the sun spread out over the city. Stiles closed his eyes and tried to settle his mind. He had been working with Deaton for the last few years, learning how to strengthen and control his Spark as well as how to function as an Emissary for his Pack. While meditation was still hit or miss for him, Stiles had been getting better at it. The trick for him wasn’t to try to clear or empty his mind, his brain was too chaotic for that. Instead, for Stiles the key was focus. He started by looking inwards for the warmth at his core that was his Spark. Once he found that, he let his awareness sink into it until his consciousness was completely surrounded by it’s warm golden light. He then encouraged that light to grow and spread throughout his entire body.

Bruce felt the warmth of the sun on his face as he struggled to clear his mind. It was more difficult than usual today, something seemed to be nagging at the edge of his awareness. Bruce glanced over as he realized that the warmth he was feeling couldn’t be coming from the sun, the windows were too well insulated to allow the weather outside to effect the temperature inside. No, the warmth was coming from the boy beside him. Stiles appeared to be deep into meditation, his body was exuding warmth and a faint, barely discernible, golden light.

Within the heart of his Spark, Stiles found the bonds between himself and the Pack. He focused on the bond with his sister since she was the closest Pack-member and the easiest to feel. He could sense her immediate state, her enjoyment of the physical exertion, pushing herself to keep pace with the Super-Soldier, pushing him in turn to keep up with her. Underneath that was a feeling of cautious optimism regarding her new relationships with her father and the rest of the Avengers. And underneath all of that was a longing for her Mate and Pack. Stiles knew theoretically that Ana had a hard time being away from the Pack, but he had never before felt just how much the separation gnawed at her.

As he felt along his bond with Ana, Stiles noticed new bonds that weren’t there last time he did this. They were faint, fragile and new, but growing stronger. He knew that Ana viewed the Avengers as her father’s Pack, but he hadn’t realized that that would actually manifest in real Pack bonds. The strongest of those was of course the bond between Clint and Ana. The next strongest was also no surprise since Ana had long considered Steve an Alpha, at one time _her_ Alpha. Now she considered him her father’s Alpha and had formed a bond accordingly. Through the two of them were bonds to those others she considers part of the Avengers Pack - Natasha, Thor, Tony, and Bruce. Stiles could feel them all faintly, just enough to ascertain their general state of physical and emotional well-being.

By this time Ana and Steve had finished their run and returned to the Tower. Ana quietly assured him that all was well with Stiles, but cautioned against disturbing him. She had seen him like this before, using his Spark to see into the Pack. It was a powerful skill for the future Emissary to keep tabs on the health and well-being of his Pack, but if startled, Stiles had a tendency to flail not only with his limbs, but with his Spark as well. With that in mind, Ana quietly made sure that JARVIS was ready with fire suppression just in case. The AI in turn alerted the rest of the Avengers who watched the scene from their respective monitors.

After checking on the Avengers, Stiles pulled back to his own Pack bonds. He checked on Scott, Derek, Kira, Malia, Lydia, Isaac, Mason, and Liam. They were all generally good, but he could also sense how much they missed him and Ana. It was reassuring that they were all safe and sound, but also served to bring to the forefront how much he was missing them and his dad as well. As awesome as hanging out with the Avengers was, it just wasn’t as good as being surrounded by his Pack - his family.

By the time he pulled his awareness back to his own body and tucked his Spark back in, the glow absorbing back into his skin, Stiles was ready to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a third, and probably final, installment of this series. Please comment if there is anything you would like to see in it. Thank you so much to all of you who have left comments and kudos, you keep me writing!


End file.
